Rabat- The French multinational retailer Carrefour was condemned Thursday by the industrial tribunal of Lyon for having fired a Moroccan veiled cashier in 2010.

The Board of “Prud'hommes” in Lyon ordered Carrefour to pay 10,000 euros in compensation to Hafida Treille, of Moroccan origins, who was fired after refusing to take off her veil.

The judges said that Carrefour dismissed the veiled cashier"withoutreal cause.”

However, the French retailer said that the act of the employee in question "violated" the rules of the company, which states that employees in contact with customers have no right to wear or show any ostentatious political, religious or trade union signs.

The 44 years old Carrefour’s ex-cashier was fired after returning from a parental leave.

According to AFP, HaoudaHathroubi, the counsel of theformeremployee, said that the principle of "absolute neutrality" rules enacted in the Company’s code contradict with religious freedom, which is enshrined in French constitution and the European Court of Human Rights

Fez - Only 55 street radars out of Morocco’s 150 are in good condition and able to detect speed and track traffic violations. 80 radars are in the process of being repaired or connected, while 15 are unsuitable to work.

Minister of Transportation and Equipment Aziz Rabbah revealed these statistics in an interview with Moroccan daily Akhbar Alyoum in its Thursday issue.

According to the Minister, these radars are often "exposed to defects as a result of a number of accidents and sabotage." In this regard, the Ministry has allocated MAD 4 million to repair the non-functional radars.

To strengthen the system of traffic monitoring and surveillance, Rabbah noted that the Ministry presented a public procurement notice to receive proposals from companies that sell, operate, and maintain radars to buy 200 new ones. The Minister adds that these radars "will be ready to operate in mid 2015."

The Ministry will introduce a new monitoring plan in which 175 controllers will be available to conduct abrupt technical monitoring missions. In addition to controlling drivers’ abilities and the extent to which drivers respect the road laws, the Ministry also intends to intensify inspection operations of technical surveillance centers for vehicles.

For reasons of transparency, Rabbah revealed the Ministry's plan to to regulate drivers’ licenses centers by installing cameras in all circuits of practical exams "to monitor all recorded flaws."

Traffic accident statistics for 2013 show that the number of fatalities reached 3,705, a 8.63 percent decline compared to 2012.

Rabat - The National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data (CNDP) has revealed on Friday that 50% of the websites in Morocco do not respect the legal procedures for the protection of such data. 

In a control operation of personal data that involved 104 websites, the CNDP said that only 22% of these websites provide references to the protection of personal data in accordance with the law.

The control campaign identified that 28% of websites show a feature that indicates they are protecting personal data of their users in line with the legal requirements, yet it is "incomplete".

The commission's findings also suggest that 71% of websites provide no information on the identity of the website, the purposes of the processing, the recipients of the collected data and other information. 29% of the websites provide only partial information.

CNDP concluded that only 1 % of websites in Morocco bother to request for the consent of their users before collecting and processing their personal data, adding that 80% of the websites do not mention it while 19 % carry out random requests.

The CNDP 'warns' the websites which do not comply with the legal procedures that in the absence of a positive response the commission will initiate disciplinary proceedings that could take the form of a warning, a reprimand or a file transfer to  justice.

Among the websites controlled there are those of travel and hospitality, employment and recruitment agencies, online sales & marketing, government agencies, banks, transportation & logistics, healthcare, telecoms, and car rentals.

Rabat - A medical team from the Hassan II University Hospital in the city of Fez has successfully performed a kidney transplant from a brain-dead donor in order to save the lives of two patients located in the cities of Fez and Casablanca, MAP reports. 

The transplant, the first of its kind to be performed on a brain-dead donor in the Hassan II hospital in Fez, was to help a woman from the city of Fez who was suffering from a chronic renal failure in its final stages.

According to a statement from the University hospital, the surgical procedure also saved the life of a Casablanca patient who benefited from the second kidney which was taken from the same donor.

The hospital hailed the "courageous decision of the family of the deceased to donate his both kidneys and the competence and experience of the medical, surgical and nursing staff at the Hassan II university hospital.

"This surgical intervention is part of the efforts made by the Ministry of Health and the University Hospital Hassan II in Fez, which aim to encourage the donation of organs and tissues," read the statement.

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Rabat - The Moroccan anti-Islamist and secular Amazigh ‘poet,' Malika Mezzane has reportedly accused Arabs of Zionism, saying that “the Jewish people have the right to establish their nation in Palestine.”

Malika Mezzane voiced support to Israeli, stating that they have the right to “establish their state in Palestine, since it’s their homeland."

“We have never heard that Alaska or Australia was the homeland of the Jewish people. It’s the Arab people who exceeded their borders in order to establish the so-called Islamic Arab World, at the expense of the Jewish nation,” said Malika Mezzane.

The Amazigh activist’s fiery statements sparked controversy on social media. Malika Mezzane received a harsh reaction from a great part of the Moroccan Facebook users who were angered by her “provocative” statements.

This is not the first time Malika Mezzane stirs controversy. Last month, she stated that she was ready to offer sexual services for the members of the Kurdish army” in support of their war against “the barbarism of terrorism.”

Commenting on her statement, Malika told Med Radio that she didn’t laterally mean she was a prostitute whore, stressing that she intended to mock Sex-Jihad.

“I neither smoke nor drink alcohol,” Malika said. ”However, some Moroccan men, s misread my statements, and called me in order to sleep with me.”

Fez - Egyptian actor Youssef Chaaban described Moroccans as Jews and claimed that Hassan al Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, is of Moroccan origin. 

Appearing on El balad TV, the Egyptian actor demonized the Muslim Brotherhood and incited more hatred of Moroccans within the Egyptian society, just like Egyptian TV host Amany El Khayat.   

Chaaban claimed that the late Sheikh Hassan al Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, is of Moroccan origin and came to Egypt to create his dubious organization. He did not stop there, however, he continued his rant by saying that eight out of every ten Moroccans are Jewish. 

"Who is Hassan al Banna? I have no idea who is he, except that he came from Morocco," Youssef Chaaban said. "In Morocco, you find eight jews out of every ten Moroccans. Judaism allows them [Moroccans] to impersonate [convert to] any religion, including Islam, to achieve their interests and serve the purposes of the Jewish religion." 

According to the Egyptian actor, Hassan al Banna migrated to Egypt and settled in Ismailia City rather than Cairo. According to Chaaban, al Banna came to Egypt to form an Islamic group with the agenda of infiltrating Egyptian society and damage its stability "with the support of the British Army stationed at the Suez Canal." 

Hearing this nonsense in the Egyptian media and from household names within Egypt and the Arab world raises some big questions. Why do some Egyptians lash out at Morocco and Moroccans? Why do they lie to people and claim baseless nonsense to target a foreign (supposedly brotherly) country?

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Marrakech - Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has announced that he will stand for reelection for Tunisia’s President in November. Parliamentary elections will take place in October. 

"My candidacy is an example of transparency," he said, according to an AFP report. "We must not allow corruption in this first democratic experience," he added after registering for the November 23 vote.

The upcoming elections will complete the protracted democratic process launched in 2011, which stipulated the creation of a new constitution and elections for a new government following the interim process.

President Marzouki has been Tunisia’s the interim President since the Ennhada-led government was elected in 2011. He remained President after the government stepped down to allow a non-political government of technocrats under Prime Minister Mehdi Joumaa to take over, following the assassinations of two Tunisian MP’s, Chokri  Belaid and Mohamed Brahimi. The Ennhada-led government was said by many to have been too lenient towards violent Salafists who assaulted women and secular members of society, including artists,media professionals, and university professors. These Salafists included the subsequently banned Ansar al Sharia, which led an attack on the American Embassy in Tunis.

President Marzouki insisted that his alliance with Ennhada was a necessary part of Tunisia’s political evolution. Tunisia’s transition has been turbulent, and Mehdi Joumaa’s interim government has given Tunisia much-needed breathing space from political controversy so that the National Constituent Assembly could finally pass the constitution and set a date for the next elections.

Those standing in the presidential elections include Mustapha Ben Jafaar, Speaker of the National Assembly and leader of the Ettakatol, Beji Caid Essebsi, President of Nidaa Tounes, Nejib Chebbi, leader of the Republican Party, and Hachmi Hamdi, head of the Tayar Al Mahaba party. In total, there are some 13 potential candidates. Ennhada has said it will not field a presidential candidate. There has been some speculation that former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali might stand as an independent, but this has not been confirmed.

President Marzouki has had some difficult moments as President, including the disturbances over unemployment in the industrial areas around Sidi Bouzid and Jendouba. He was accused of being too close to Qatarand ignoring human rights issues regarding Tunisian women. However, he has survived these crises and been praised by many for his role as President, especially for developing strong relations between Tunisia and the US, EU, and GCC. As a former leader of the Tunisian Human Rights League, he spent many years in exile during the Ben Ali regime.

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Marrakech - Pamela Geller, described by one journalist as the “Queen of the Islam-bashers”, is the founder of the organization Stop the Islamization of America with Robert Spencer. It is linked the organizations Stop Islamization of Nations and Stop Islamization of  Europe. 

She has been widely criticized from propagating extreme anti-Islamic views and failing to distinguish between Jihadist radicals and mainstream Muslims. She began her anti-Islam campaign following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, and she later opposed the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York. She is an extreme right-wing Zionist, and has said, "Islam is the most anti-Semitic, genocidal ideology in the world.^" However, she has also said that “I have no problem with Islam– I have a problem with political Islam.” Hers is a dangerously mixed message.

She has just launched a $100,000 advertising campaign on the New York Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) buses and subways. One advertisement features a photo of the journalist James Foley prior to his beheading with the caption “Yesterday’s moderate is today’s headline”. Another advertisement has a photo of Adolf Hitler talking to Hajj Amin al Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalemin British Mandatory Palestine. Above the photograph of Hitler with the Mufti, the title is “Islamic Jew hatred: it’s in the Quran. Two thirds of all America aid goes to Islamic Countries. Stop the hate, end all US aid to Islamic countries.” The last advertisement likens Hamas to ISIS, al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and says,“Jihad is Jihad.”

Despite widespread criticism, including from the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, MTA was unable to refuse to carry the advertising campaign because a judge ruled that to do so would violate Pamela Geller’s constitutional right to free expression. Incredibly, the United States has no law against hate speech. Pamela Geller was refused entry into the United Kingdom in 2013 when she was due to speak at a far-right English Defense League (EDL) political gathering. The UK Home Office said that she had established “anti-Muslim hate groups.” The UK’s Public Order Act of 1986 prohibits threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behavior, or displays any written material which is “threatening, abusive, or insulting” and liable to stir up racial or religious hatred.

Ironically, the New York Daily News has criticized Geller’s MTA advertising campaign, despite the fact that she worked for them in advertising and marketing and as a financial analyst for in the 1980s. She was also an associate publisher for the New York Observer from 1989 to 1994. Her media background is significant, as she regularly appears on CNN and Fox News to promote her anti-Islamic views.

Perhaps most dangerously, Pamela Geller identifies Jihad as being “pure” Islam: "Muslim terrorists were practicing pure Islam, original Islam.Terrorists don't spring from ‘perversions of Islam’, but from the religion itself". She added: "I believe most Muslims are secular. I don’t believe that most Muslims subscribe to devout fundamentalist Islam by any stretch of the imagination. And we need the secular Muslims to win the battle for the reformation of Islam."

With her mixed messages and extreme views, Pamela Geller plays a significant role in spreading a distorted view of Islam. Her support for hardline Zionism crosses a dangerous threshold. New York is a city with a large Jewish population, and they do not all agree with Pamela Geller. She has even lamented American Jews’ support for the Democratic Party. In the Jewish newspaper Arutz Sheva, she said that “Israel's real friends are in the Republican Party, and yet over 80% of American Jews are Democrats.”

While respecting freedom of speech under the US constitution, perhaps it is time to regulate dangerous extremist hate speech in America, as is the case of the United Kingdom and Germany. Countries with large ethnic populations cannot afford to have this kind of propaganda in today’s divided and war-torn global climate. The need to treat religion with respect and not as an incitement to hate in the Islamic, secular, Christian, and Jewish faiths has never been greater.

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Taroudant, Morocco- The hostel reservation site HostelBookers.com has released a list of the top-rated lodgings around the world for backpackers and budget travelers looking to book their next accommodations. The site ranked Moroccan youth hostels among the best in the world.

Using as reference the various reviews posted by travelers who stayed in them, HostelBookers, the well-known portal specialized in 'low cost' accommodations, presented its 2014 listing of the best youth hostels in the year with the United States, Australia and Morocco leading the ranking.

Based on several criteria, Youth hostels in Marrakesh and Fez ranked third after those of the United States and Australia.

The winners are chosen based on the highest rating achieved in each category, including hospitality, ambience, value, popularity and cleanliness. A minimum of 25 reviews received in the previous year is required to be considered for an award.

With 18 awards, United States becomes tops the list of the best youth hostellers. The silver medal went to Australia, with 15 awards, followed closely by Morocco, in third place with 12 awards.

Throughout the African continent and the Middle East, the kingdom appears to be the preferred destination with no less than 12 awards, including the top 3 hostels on the continent, namely Riads Marrakech Rouge, Layla Rouge in Marrakech and Riad Verus in Fes. These three hostels received over 95% of customer satisfaction.

With over 20,000 establishments registered in more than 3,500 destinations worldwide, HostelBookers has become in recent years a reference for budget travelers, offering users the ability to process directly their online reservation free of charge.

Last year, eight Moroccan lodgings received the Hostelbookers’ 12th Awards for Excellence 2013.

Rabat- Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said following the outstanding 8-2 victory on Saturday at the Riazor stadium against Deportivo La Coruna that his players have responded well to the critics, urging them to keep on improving and produce the same performance they had managed to demonstrate over the past seven days.

"We played with a lot of energy and we tried to play well across the park. We've shown just how much quality we have. We have a very talented squad," said the Italian who endured great pressure following his team's poor start during the current season.

Real Madrid scored 13 goals in two games. 8 of them against Deportivo on Saturday's game which saw Cristiano Ronaldo struck a hat-trick, while Gareth Bale and Javier Hernandez netted a brace each, and James Rodriguez scoring a goal.

The Los Blancos also started their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a 5-1 victory against Swiss side of Basel.

Washington D.C. - Controversy surrounded the opening of what is proclaimed to be South Africa’s first ‘open mosque’ Friday, when a small group of people protested outside the gates at the mosque’s inaugural prayer.  

The mosque, which welcomes people from all genders, religions and sexual orientations, was founded by Taj Hargey, a professor at the Muslim Educational Center of Oxford.

“In South Africa 20 years ago, there was a peaceful revolution changing from apartheid to democracy and we need to have a similar development in the area of religion,” said Hargey in an interview with BBC.

Inside the mosque, media and mosque-goers outnumbered protesters. Women sat alongside men, while they listened to Hargey’s sermon, in which he condemned hatred between Muslims and Christians and blamed it on “warped theology,” according to the AFP news agency.

The Muslim Judicial Council, a non-profit religious advocacy group, told The Telegraph that it is “in the process of investigating the policy and objectives of the mosque.”

The deputy president of MJC, Sheikh Riad Fataar said they would not consider the open mosque a proper place of prayer.

“We see in the newspaper clipping and the messages that this is a place of worship, but we can’t call it a mosque,” he told The Voice of the Cape.

Hargey was born in South Africa under the apartheid regime and became the first South African Muslim to obtain a doctorate of philosophy at Oxford.

In both South Africa and Britain, Hargey has been surrounded by controversy. He is one of the few imams who will conduct marriage ceremonies between Muslim women and non-Muslim men and he is known for supporting a total ban on burqas in the UK.

While the idea of an open mosque may cause uproar among many Muslims, it’s an idea that has picked up momentum in the last couple of years. France opened its first gay-friendly mosque in 2012 and organizations such as Muslims for Progressive Values have gained popularity and membership, although they still represent a small minority within the Muslim world.

Taroudant, Morocco - With the growing threat posed by the Islamic State known as ISIS or ISIL, the whole world is coming together to face the danger imposed by the radical group that calls itself Islamic State.

German Muslims will rally together during the Jumuah prayers, a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, to protest against ISIS jihadists, and denounce the barbaric atrocities perpetrated by the group, which has nothing to do with Islam and Muslims.

The Germany Authorities called on imams in charge of some two thousand mosques across Germany to use their Friday rituals “to rally against the Islamic State and speak out against beheading in Syria and Iraq,” according to RT.

According to the same source, Aiman Mazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, told the country’s Muslim population on Friday that” they shouldn’t stay quiet about the misuse of the Islamic faith,” describing the Islamic State as “in truth terrorists and murderers" who have dragged Islam “through the mud.”

RT said that the protest in the form of nine large rallies will be held in cities across Germany, including Berlin, Stuttgart, Hanover, and Mölln. Following the murder of David Haines, the latest in a series of violent murders committed by the Islamic state, a group of young British Muslims launched a campaign to reject the Islamic state, whose acts of violence in recent weeks has sparked international outcry.

Earlier this month, a group of influential imams and scholars based in UK issued early Fatwa, religious edict, prohibiting British Muslims to fight alongside ISIS extremists in Iraq and Syria.

The Muslim imams and scholars condemned the “oppressive and tyrannical self-styled Caliphate,” IS, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, stressing that, in line with the Islamic teachings, it is Haram (prohibited) for British and European citizens to fight with any side in Syria.

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Fez- In a new appearance during a meeting organized by the Regional Secretariat of Justice and Development Party (PJD), on Sunday morning, on "Women's work, a fundamental pillar in democratic building," Morocco's head of Government, Abdelilah Benkirane, called upon men to apologize to working women for the hardships they endure.

"We, men, must all offer a formal apology to woman who work," Benkirane said.

Benkirane's statement comes not long after his last impassioned plea for the importance of the work Moroccan women do, during a monthly hearing at the second chamber last June. Mr. Benkirane's speech on women's roles in Morocco drew harsh criticism, especially from women's right organizations.

Benkirane highlighted the importance of equality between men and women in Moroccan society, adding that it is good to see them "work as teachers, engineers, doctors, blue color workers, servers." Yet, most childcare and household responsibilities are usually put on women's shoulders. This engenders problems for Moroccan families.

“Who will care for children?,” Benkirane asked, noting that women give birth to children, breastfeed and care for them, in addition to their professional jobs. "This is unbelievable,” he said, calling these hardworking mothers “superwomen.”

The Head of Government also drew attention to those who "reduce the status of women adding that a [housewife] is "queen." "They offer society an unparalleled job, which requires not only reverence but also compensation," Benkirane added.

In this context, Benkirane said he wishes that the state could afford to compensate stay at home mothers for the excellent job they do, especially those in need, so "they will not be obliged to work under harsh conditions irrespective of their circumstances."

He also called for the adoption of a new concept of equality based on fairness to allow women to work, with employers taking into consideration their other tasks and responsibilities.

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Marrakech- The border crossing between Syria and Turkey close to Ain Al Arab, known as Kobani in Kurdish, has seen over 100,000 Syrian Kurdish refugees fleeing ISIS (known also as ISIL) atrocities over the last 48 hours, according to the United Nations. The same source added that the number of refugees is likely to increase.

Eyewitnesses reports that ISIL terrorists are executing men women and children at random to scare other inhabitants of Kobani and kidnapping others to effect a form of ethnic cleansing. Kurdish politicians renewed their call for young people and Kurdish fighters to go to Kobani to protect and help the population.

Many Kurds blame Turkey for covertly supporting ISIS or the Islamic state and there have been clashes on the border between Kurdish refugees and Turkey’s security forces, which have used tear gas to restore order.

Turkey opposes the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, which is linked to the Syrian Kurds. The PKK has fought a guerrilla war against the Turkish army for many years seeking a separate Kurdish state. It is just one of the ethnic clashes afflicting the region. The Kurds from Kobani have compared themselves to the Yazidis and Christians who are being persecuted by ISIS.

New York- As announced by Morocco World news 10 days ago, King Mohammed VI will fly to New York to participate in the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which is due to kick off on Wednesday.

King Mohammed VI is expected to arrive in the Big Apple on Monday, and will be accompanied by an important delegation.

According to UN official documents obtained by MWN, King Mohammed is due to address the 193 Assembly on the first morning of the General debate. He is number 12 on the list of speakers after Brazil, the United States, Uganda, Spain, Mauritania, Chile, Republic of Korea, Qatar, Armenia, Liberia and France.

The Monarch is also expected to participate in the UN Climate Change Summit, which will be held in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the General Debate of the sixty-ninth session of the UN General Assembly.

King Mohammed VI is first on the list of speakers of the morning meeting, which will be chaired by the French President, Francois Holland, and Peruvian President, Ollanta Humala. The summit will be held in three rooms.

Casablanca - Casablanca Finance city (CFC) has moved up by eleven positions in the 16th Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI 16) to rank 51st.

Casablanca and Johannesburg, the two African centers in the GFCI, both did very well, climbing 11 and 12 places respectively, the Z/Yen Group notes in a report published Monday.

According to GFCI 16, Casablanca is ranked second among African financial centers, behind Johannesburg and ahead of Mauritius.

In the reputational advantage, Casablanca topped the ranking, ahead of Wellington, Busan, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo.

Stability and rising economic power, Morocco has ambitions to be the leading business and financial gateway to Africa, offering unique access to the continent’s untapped potential, the report says.

The report added that the kingdom holds a strong position as a hub thanks to intrinsic advantages: political stability, solid macroeconomic fundamentals (it is an investment grade country), unshaken commitment to reforms, ambitious sectorial strategies, privileged historical ties with African countries, unique geography at the crossroads of the continents, unparalleled air connectivity, world-class infrastructure

According to the report, the second financial hub in Africa capitalizes on the kingdom’s robust financial sector which is considered a benchmark in the region, and relies on Moroccan companies with their sound presence and leadership.

Casablanca Finance City (CFC), a flagship initiative launched in 2010 is instrumental in accomplishing this vision, notes the report, adding that by offering openness to trade and investments, streamlined administrative procedures, strengthened legal and regulatory frameworks, attractive corporate and income tax incentives, skilled talent pool and premier real-estate offer, CFC answers the need for an entry point to Africa.

Marrakech - Robert Satloff, director of the Washington Institute, recently wrote that Israel remains a key ally of leading Gulf countries and that the Middle East continues to be the major focus of American Foreign Policy, despite President Obama’s attempt to move towards the Asia Pacific earlier this year.

In his article, Satloff identifies ten changes that are influencing the situation in the Middle East. His views can be seen in the light of a pro-Israeli bias, which is common in American elitist circles.

1. Arab governments are now defending the Sykes-Picot border between Syria and Iraq after the First World War; they now realize that the breakup of Syria, Iraq, and Libya could be catastrophic for the Arab World. Satloff calls it “Sykes Picot’s revenge.”

2. Arab nations now understand that President Obama wants to change US strategy by leading from behind and depending on regional Arab powers. Some have started to take things into their own hands, and Mr Satloff is “convinced they will do something about it.”

President Obama is chairing the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, which will decide how to confront ISIL and prevent potential jihadists from travelling to Iraq and Syria, then returning to their home countries to wreak havoc. The meeting will also seek to prevent funding for ISIL.

3. Satloff also remarks on the blackout—both electrical and political—in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon in the face of the ISIL advance, as well as the political stagnation in Egypt following the fall of Mohamed Morsi. He thinks that political Islam is dead, but without politics, “the Egyptian leadership is still wrestling with the core issue of defining the exact direction of the Egyptian state on the core issue of the relation between religion and politics, namely how to find ‘the sweet spot’ between rejecting Islam and not rejecting Islam.”

4. According to Satloff, the expansion of the Suez Canal without properly studying the economic effects of the project could prove disastrous and become “a bit of a pyramid scheme.”

5. Egypt openly holds the United States in widespread contempt, a reversion from the long US support for former president Mubarak.

6. Satloff feels that the conflict between Gaza and Israel is not an important part of the regional conflict.“Each side needs to look in the mirror and see what it can do” in order to restore some element of partnership to a relationship that has dangerously frayed.

7. Israeli and US relations converge and they continue to act together, he believes. He feels this is “the silver lining in a dark Middle East,” and that Israel and Egypt view the Middle East situation in the same way. “Cairo and Israel cooperate in part because they both have lost much faith and confidence in Washington is the negative side of the story.”

8. Despite Jordan’s future looking bleak, Satloff still has faith in King Abdullah’s ability to handle the crisis. “Don’t bet against the King.”

9. He thinks that President Obama has a crisis of confidence with Sunnis, particularly those in Iraq. He wonders if there is a connection between the defeat of ISIS and solving the Israeli-Palestine conflict, but “America’s standing with Sunnis is very low.”

10. Finally, Satloff questions the position of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman. He wonders if Netanyahu is the weakest of the strong or the strongest of the weak among Israeli politicians. The Asian hub will not be the focus of attention anymore—it will be the Middle East, he concludes. Iran may also help to ensure this.

United Nations - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has praised the initiatives of King Mohammed VI in favor of peace, stability and harmony in several African countries, particularly in the Sahel.

"Spiritual and religious leaders have a key role to play in promoting harmony between communities in the Sahel," the UN Chief said in an interview with MAP, praising "in particular the decision of HM King Mohammed VI to respond positively to the request of the Islamic Council in Nigeria."

King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, has agreed to a request by the Nigerian Islamic Council and Iftaa Authority for training Nigerian imams in Morocco.

In the Sahel, Ban Ki-moon also called for a "regional and global commitment" to "get (the countries of this region) out of the cycle of chronic crises" and hailed Morocco's initiatives in this respect.

Ban Ki-Moon praised the initiatives and efforts made by countries like Morocco, citing in this regard, "the Rabat meeting to promote transnational cooperation".

Similarly, in Central Africa, Ban Ki-moon said he "counts on" the professionalism, integrity and commitment of Moroccan troops to achieve stability in Central Africa.

"I'd like to reiterate my concern about the attacks against civilians and I count on the professionalism, integrity and commitment of Moroccan troops to achieve stability in the country, necessary to put the Central African Republic on the way to sustainable development."

Morocco is also one of the first countries to have deployed troops in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), he said.

The UN Chief also expressed his "recognition" to Morocco, the 15th largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, for its "commitment with us," from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Côte d'Ivoire.

Regarding Ebola outbreak, Ban Ki-moon praised "the approach of Royal Air Morocco and the Moroccan authorities" which have decided to maintain their flights to the epidemic-affected countries.

Royal Air Maroc has decided to maintain its flights to all countries affected by the epidemic of Ebola: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in a "in a gesture of responsible solidarity."